Day 8 'The Challange': 🌿Harnessing the Storm—Balancing Energy & Inner Strength 🔥
- Gianna Bormolini
- Jun 3
- 7 min read
After a restorative day of rest, we're back on track with "The Challenge"!
We’ve made it to Week 2! 🎉 Another step forward on this transformative journey!
A fresh wave of energy & balance awaits, infusing our days with dosha-aligned spices, revitalizing morning rituals, and deep nourishment to strengthen both body and mind.
This week, we dive even deeper, fine-tuning inner strength, mindful habits, and vibrant vitality to fuel our growth. Let’s embrace every moment! 💫
Ayurvedic Twist in Food:
Today, we embrace red meat for its iron and protein, pairing it with digestion-enhancing spices. As you may know, red meat is heavier on the stomach and takes 6-8 hours to fully digest. That's why it's best consumed earlier in the day, avoiding nighttime indulgence for optimal sleep. Light meals in the evening ensure digestion completes within 3-4 hours, promoting restfulness.
🌿 Manzo speziato con verdure ayurvediche
A balanced recipe with cauliflower, carrots, peppers, and lean ground beef—designed to optimize digestion and harmonize the doshas, especially Kapha and Vata (less ideal if Pitta is high).
🛒 Ingredients
Lean ground beef
Large carrot, thinly sliced
Cauliflower, small florets
Red or yellow bell pepper, julienned
Ghee or sesame oil
Cumin seeds
Turmeric
Ground coriander
Grated fresh ginger (or dry powder)
A pinch of asafetida (hing) – optional, helps prevent bloating
Sea salt or pink salt to taste
Black pepper or allspice (enhances curcumin absorption)
lemon juice (optional, for slow digestion)
🌱 Optional Additions:
Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish
A pinch of cinnamon or cloves for a warming effect
👩🍳 Method:
1️⃣ Heat the ghee in a large pan or wok.
2️⃣ Add cumin seeds and let them release their aroma.
3️⃣ Stir in asafetida and grated ginger.
4️⃣ After a few seconds, add ground beef, browning it thoroughly until crumbled and cooked through.
5️⃣ Sprinkle in turmeric, coriander, salt, and pepper.
6️⃣ Incorporate vegetables in sequence: first carrots, then cauliflower, then bell pepper.
7️⃣ Pour in a few tablespoons of water, cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
8️⃣ Once vegetables are tender yet firm, turn off the heat and mix in lemon juice and fresh herbs.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions:
✔️ Over basmati rice or quinoa for a complete meal
✔️ Wrapped in a wholegrain flatbread for an on-the-go lunch
✔️ As a standalone dish, perhaps with a spoonful of yogurt (if not detoxing)
🔥 Ayurvedic Actions:
Turmeric, ginger, cumin, and coriander: ignite digestive fire (agni)
Asafetida: counteracts bloating from cauliflower
Beef: strengthens tissues (mamsa dhatu), balanced with warming spices for easier digestion
Bell peppers: if overripe, may aggravate Pitta; best when cooked gently
🌿 Emotional Resilience & Inner Balance
Yesterday was not the easiest day to write, thank Goddess it was an off day, like Jesus say that the 7th day you rest. Emotions swirled, and with them, inspiration drifted out of reach. 🌊
💭 Every writer, every creator knows this feeling well. When the heart is tangled in its own storms, the mind struggles to translate thoughts into words. ✍️✨ Ideas appear and vanish in an instant, each one seeming like a possible escape route from the emotions that weigh heavy.
Like yoga teaches, “The mind must be trained to harness its power.”
🧘♀️💡 Without discipline, it wanders, caught in the tides of feelings that rise and fall.
To write, to create, to express—first, we must steady the waves within. 🌿🌟
🌬 Close your eyes and follow my voice...
🔊 Listen to Guided Mind Meditation
Text: "Picture a crystal-clear lake, surrounded by lush greenery and vibrant flowers. Butterflies gracefully dance atop lotus petals, momentarily landing near you before fluttering away in elegant waves... The water is so clear that you can see rocks below, tiny blue and silver fish darting playfully.
🌬 Deep breath in...
absorb the serene beauty of nature’s wonders... Then suddenly, the unexpected!
Storm winds arrive. The lake ripples, waves rise, dark clouds gather, and rain pours down. The once visible rocks, fish, and tranquility fade...
🌬 Deep breath out...
and let all these emotions go
Emotions are like winds, emerging from the unconscious mind where all our experiences reside. You might find yourself in light drizzle or fierce storms.... Breathing always help to regain control on yourself!"
So how do we tame the emotions that spiral us out of control, clouding the beauty of life and shaking our trust that all will be well?
🌿 Brahmacharya offers a guiding light. A way of living that cultivates discipline, balance, and inner mastery. By embracing the essence of the word disciple (one who follows discipline to learn and grow) we step onto a path of conscious transformation.
Guru Sakalamaa teaches that discipline is not restriction but liberation. It is the art of directing energy with intention, shaping life with integrity, and walking in alignment with Dharma—the natural order that sustains harmony.
Through mindful choices, structured habits, and unwavering commitment to self-awareness, we begin to tame the restless waves within. Discipline becomes the anchor, allowing emotions to rise and fall without pulling us into chaos.
✨ To live with discipline is to reclaim our power:
to trust, to grow, to embody the strength of our highest self.✨
When I speak of self, applied on my life, I mean:
Food: Am I eating mindfully, aligned with my vision of self?
Strength & Flexibility: Do my joints move freely and my body feel strong?
Focused Mind: Can I make clear, wise decisions for myself and my relationships?
From Swami Rama's teachings, we uncover four primal fountains from which all experience flows:
Food 🍲
Sex 💕
Sleep 🌊
Self-Preservation 🛡 (Fear) 😨
From the depths of human experience (stored in the unconscious mind), four primal fountains surge. They are Silent Forces of Energy shaping our emotions -> thoughts, -> and actions.
Swami Rama describes these as the origins of all emotional currents, the unseen roots from which desire, fear, and longing emerge.
🍲 Food – The first fountain, the most tangible. It is nourishment, survival, and pleasure intertwined. The body craves sustenance, yet beyond mere hunger, food carries emotional weight—comfort, nostalgia, indulgence.
When balanced, it fuels vitality; when misused, it becomes an escape.
💕 Sex – The second fountain, the force of creation. It is not merely physical but deeply energetic, shaping relationships, identity, and connection. When harnessed with awareness, it transforms into devotion, creativity, and spiritual elevation.
When uncontrolled, it can spiral into attachment, obsession, or imbalance.
🌊 Sleep – The third fountain, the gateway to restoration. It is the pause between moments, the healer of wounds, the silent recalibration of mind and body. Yet, sleep is more than rest. It is a mirror of our inner world.
Disrupted sleep reflects inner turmoil, while deep, peaceful slumber signals harmony.
🛡 Self-Preservation – The fourth fountain, the instinct to protect. It is the pulse of survival, the shield against harm, the drive to endure. But fear 😨, when unchecked, distorts perception, turning caution into anxiety, defense into isolation.
True self-preservation is not resistance but resilience, the ability to stand firm yet flow with life’s currents.
Each fountain feeds into the river of emotions, shaping the landscape of our inner world.
When we understand their nature, we gain mastery over our reactions,
transforming raw impulses into conscious choices, chaos into clarity, and fear into wisdom.
✨ Reflection: Write it in your journal
Which fountain feels most dominant in your life right now?
How does it shape your emotions and decisions?
Can you observe its influence without judgment, simply witnessing its flow?
Let these insights settle within you, like gently calming those ripples in your lake. 🌿
So now we understand:
Every stimulus from the external world strikes one or more of the primal fountains, triggering emotions: fear, insecurities, loss of trust.
These emotions surge through the body, sending electrical signals to the frontal cortex, where thoughts take shape through imagination. And thoughts, in turn, manifest as actions.
Do you want to imagine fear or Inspiration?
That’s why, when anger or pain overwhelms us, we sometimes make choices we later regret. The mind, clouded by intense emotions, struggles to find clarity. It doesn’t know where to turn, caught in the storm of its own reactions.
🌬 Mantras—Sacred Sounds for Emotional Mastery
🌬 How do we tame these vibrations?
Through mantras—sacred sounds that train both breath and diaphragm. As you chant, vibrations ripple through your body, harmonizing the chaos within. Over time, these vibrations soothe emotions, bringing balance, joy and calmness.
Let's engage in a 🧘 Joy-Building Breathwork Exercise .
Sit in a cross-legged position, ensuring your hips are higher than your knees.
(Check the video below for proper posture.)
🔗
Watch the importance of sitting explained by Swami Rama at min 57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMV3zxPf15k&t=3315s
Let the breath guide you. Let the sound shape your inner world. And as the vibrations settle, feel the storm within begin to quiet. 🌿✨
🌬 Breath Awareness & Mastery
If you’re familiar with Nadi Shodhana, take a moment to practice it for 2 minutes, observing the flow of your breath. Is it free, silent, effortless?
According to Swami Rama, breath has five key characteristics that define its quality and impact on the body-mind connection:
1️⃣ Smoothness – Breath should flow without jerks or pauses.
2️⃣ Deepness – It should reach the lower lungs, engaging the diaphragm fully.
3️⃣ Silence – A quiet breath reflects inner calm and balance.
4️⃣ Evenness – Inhalation and exhalation should be steady, without force.
5️⃣ Rhythm – A natural, harmonious cycle enhances mental clarity and vitality.
🧘 Recommended Breathing Practice Even if you know Nadi Shodhana, Swami Rama suggests starting with another technique to refine breath control.
🔗 Watch Swami Rama’s 2:1 Breathing Method at minute 1:00:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMV3zxPf15k&t=3315s
Let's begin! 1:2 Breathing Ratio
Start with an Exhalation.
Exhale: 1-2-3-4
Inhale: 1-2
Exhale: 1-2-3-4
Inhale: 1-2 (Continue for as long as you comfortably can.)
🔊 1:2 Ratio Breathing Meditation
Let the breath guide you, steadying the mind and calming the body. 🌿✨
✍️ Reflection: Write it in your diary
After your breathing practice, observe shifts in energy.
Could you glimpse that empty space in your mind?
Did your thoughts take you on an unexpected journey?
Did imagination lean toward fear or inspiration?
Write your reflections in your diary.
🌿 With joy, I’ll meet you tomorrow!
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